…But they still want to be Nike. As our pesky kid brother newsletter SportsVerse says, LinkedIn is rife with people calling The Swoosh out on its current stagnation, but they’ve still got plenty of imitators to prove their dominance. Also, lest we forget the Pope has chosen the Swoosh life.

Oh, the irony of following the last item with the news that football phenom Chloe Kelly has left Nike for Adidas, but I would call it mere coincidence. Life is full of those. Anyway, the newest Three Striper told Dazed about her goals, mentality, and who she’d trade wardrobes with. 

Hats are on a generational run, no cap (I’m the first one to make that joke). There are the designer ball caps, the cool-guy ball caps, the classic caps, and so much more. GQ gives you the best of the best baseball caps here. But if you’re more of a Kangol guy, I can help with that. 

Knicks fans are known for their, shall we say…colorful…post-game reaction videos (thanks to accounts like SideTalk) outside of MSG. These make for great music video backdrops. Just ask rapper Joey BadA$$. 

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is out today and features 34 women, four covers, and five shooting locations. Hilary Duff, Alix Earle, Tiffany Haddish, and Nicole Williams English got top billing, but check out all the other women here. Read about some rival sports covers below.

“Go Off” is a special edition of our daily newsletter, featuring my thoughts, takes, and general vibes, presented to OffBall readers every Wednesday.

OffBall is all about sports and culture, as you surely know by now. So let us not forget that nerds have a culture, too. I do not identify as a nerd for the most part (though I often wish I did) but I do love a good game. Which I guess when you break it down is just what it means to be a sports fan. Are games not sports? Who is to say? 

Anyway, there’s a new game that has changed my life (for the last three days, at least). GeoSports is a game that tests your sports knowledge and geographic prowess at the same time.

I do not know Frank Michael Smith, a contributor to The Athletic, but I thank him for his service, nonetheless. He launched Geosports nine days ago today, and it’s taken the sports nerd world by storm. And since everything is a collab these days, why not collaborate on the questions with one of the internet’s most beloved sports writers, like Yahoo’s Kendall Baker. 

As a woman, it’s an interesting game to play because it harkens back to childhood, being quizzed on my fandom to prove my worth. And putting aside the psychoanalysis a therapist might do on me for even feeling comfortable uttering that statement, I love this game. 

I’m really bad at Wordle, although I grew up watching its predecessor on Game Show Network, Lingo (don’t let them gaslight us into believing the new Wordle TV show is the first iteration, especially since it might get litigious). I’m a 10/10 on connections. You can’t stump me there. And when it comes to GeoSports, three days in, I’d say I’m above average. I’m not Patrick Mahomes, but in the right situation I could be Priest Holmes. (Yes, I’m a Chiefs stan.)

I first learned about the game on OffBall’s daily team call and I spent five minutes tuning my boss out (he could tell, this will not be a surprise to him) and traversing the digital globe to find Nanterre (a suburb of Paris where Wemby first got his start). I immediately texted multiple group chats, alerting them of the game’s existence, because I am the way-too-online friend. 

I’m going to say something dramatic but you have to promise you don’t feel bad for me: it’s the kind of game that makes me wish my dad was still alive. Because dads (and, if all parties are so lucky, their daughters, too) love namin’ guys (gender neutral). And that’s kind of the heart of this game. Perhaps that’s all life is: just years-long series of naming [guys, places, teams, things]. NOTE: I do hope we get women’s sports mixed in at least a 40/60 split, and I will reserve judgement until I have a larger data set. 

If this game isn’t for you, and you prefer to watch someone else under pressure instead, I have a game for you, too. It’s actually many different games, under the SportsIQ umbrella, which you can find on Instagram and TikTok. SportsIQ’s games are actually harder, but you get to be an inactive bystander and complain about how bad everyone else is. Kinda like watching sports, wouldn’t you say?

Anyway, blow off work and play games. And text your friends about the games. 

Imma let you finish, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, but Vanity Fair put out the best sports covers of the day. It’s a wild coincidence (?) that they did it the same day. And to be clear, SI’s covers are great too, but I had to compare the two. You know, for #clicks.  

Carlos Alcaraz’s VF spread is my favorite, and not just because this photo could live in a swimsuit. issue.

The story shows a more vulnerable side to the megastar, who sometimes wishes he could do things a “normal” 23-year-old does. I highly recommend that one here.

A’ja Wilson’s cover story is all about how she wants to prove she’s the GOAT (something she’s kind of already done, if you ask me). The highlight is that she and her boyfriend, Bam Adebayo, are in matching outfits during the interview. 

Kylian Mbappé is the third cover, and a quote that struck me from his piece (about representing your country in a major tournament) was: “We are not disconnected from the world. We are not disconnected from what happens in our country.” Whether you agree or not, I bet that really slaps in French. 

Bonus stories on Lane Kiffin (people are kinda mad about this one, but I’ll let you explore why). And Carlos Sainz for Vanity Fair Spain.